Viktor Orbán Believes No One Can Win the Russo-Ukrainian War
Jose Nino
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán believes his country is being negatively impacted by the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In an interview with Swiss media outlet Weltwoche, Orbán boldly proclaimed that Western countries are not interested in looking for peace and that the European Union’s leadership is bowing down to American interests.
“There are some who want to force Hungary into the war, and they are not picky about the means with which to achieve that goal,” Orbán stated. He emphasized that “Hungary’s leadership is strong enough to keep the war away from our country.”
Orbán added that Hungarians “are most affected by the EU sanctions introduced against Russia” which have drastically increased the price of oil and gas. He also noted that the war “is taking its toll on our soul, on our psyche.”
“Ukraine is our neighbor where Hungarians live as well. They are being conscripted and are dying by the hundreds on the front,” the Hungarian Prime Minister added.
Orbán ultimately believes that “Europe has retired from the debate.”
“In the decisions adopted in Brussels, I recognize American interests more frequently than European ones. In a war that is taking place in Europe the Americans have the final word,” Orbán noted.
As far as the outcome of this war is concerned, Orbán believes “no one can win it.”
“There is a nuclear power with a population of 140 million up against the Ukrainians, while there is the whole of NATO up against the Russians. This is what makes things so dangerous. There is a stalemate which can easily escalate into a world war,” Orbán remarked.
Like many realist commentators in the West, Orbán observed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was concerned about NATO expansion along Russia’s border. The Hungarian Prime Minister noted the following:
“Putin has a problem – this is what he told me – with the American missile bases already created in Romania and Poland, and with NATO’s potential expansion towards Ukraine and Georgia in order to station armaments there. Additionally, the Americans terminated important disarmament treaties. This is why Putin could no longer have a good night’s sleep.”
Orbán understood Putin’s arguments, but did not support his military action. Nevertheless, Orbán believes the West is incapable of creating peace at the moment. Instead, he believes that “the Chinese, the Indians, the Arabs, the Turks, and the Brazilians all want peace.” He continued by observing that “The West has lost its ability to unite the world in the interest of a single cause. Its philosophical tenets are limited in space. This is a new phenomenon.”
Orbán is one of the last realist leaders in the west. His wisdom is something that’s desperately lacking in Western foreign policy circles, which are largely animated by neoconservative and neoliberal mindsets. Sadly, the Hungarian leader’s reasonable foreign policy insights will largely be ignored by his Western counterparts.
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